


A Beast's Inner Fortune [discontinued]

by soulswimmer



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Dragon AU, F/M, Manga Spoilers, dragons yoinking grumpy little knights off their little high chairs, hella hella dragon riding, i won't use names, like only a lil, seriously you can't go on tumblr without seeing these spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-02-11 20:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2082546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulswimmer/pseuds/soulswimmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The town of Sina is peaceful- for the most part. Aside from the occasional dragon attack and being run by a rather suspicious leader, Sina is truly an ideal place for anyone to live. It's defended by the greatest group of knights around, and they happen to be led by a 5 foot 3 grumpy midget who just happens to be extremely talented with a pair of swords.<br/>However, he proves to be no match for a certain dragon, who not only has a mind of her own, but plans to use that mind and his to reveal a rather dark and hidden secret.<br/>Chaos ensues.<br/>As well as a little beastly love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hesitate

A dragon, by law of the human world, is meant to be senseless, merciless, and unwavering to any sort of kindness that the human species may show. It will burn villages, slaughter the most innocent children, steal the beautiful women, and scoff in the faces of knights before incinerating them by use of their fiery breath. With a single beat of its wings, a dragon knocks the cowering and innocent people on their rear ends, leaving with a mark of terror in their hearts.

It’s not like Hange would disagree.

A large chunk of the dragon population would do that on a whim. Mostly the rogues, those whose minds had left them long ago, and unknowingly would stop at nothing for a meal or some sort of rampage. Others were just plain cruel. Personally, Hange had never thought that attacking a village was logical unless they had instigated an offense against her, which had yet to happen. That being because Hange was extra careful not to allow any human to discover her. The risk was far too great.

Of course, there was the fact that Hange wasn’t completely a dragon. Being half human gave her more of a sense of morality towards other humans. Not to mention, Sina was the only village around for several miles, and she had some sentimental attachment to it. Being her original home how could it not? Yet she dared not step foot in there unless absolutely necessary. For her, old enemies lurked in every corner, and Hange had no wishes to go prancing into ground in which she was not welcome.

However, Hange would have loved to fly overhead and see the village from a different view then she had in the past, but that wouldn’t be possible, not with Sina’s hostility towards dragons. Any dragon spotted close to the village, whether it was wreaking havoc or not, would be ordered to be eliminated. Sina was known for its dragon slaying, and had a prime group of knights, who excelled at their job, defense or offense. That was one of the parts of Sina that Hange resented. A dragon attack towards the town would justify their defense, but the King had specific orders of any dragon to be slaughtered. She had witnessed dragons that were resting get stabbed mercilessly. Their bodies were thrown off cliffs or disposed of in any way possible. Sometimes prizes like a basket of scales or a talon were taken back. It was absolutely revolting.

So instead of flying over Sina, Hange settled with the mountain ranges, which were a far prettier site to see. The mountains were lush with pine trees and dotted with all sort of wildlife, and in the winter, the tops glittered with snow. And the air- ohhh, the air. Hange loved how crisp and fresh the air was the most. It helped her when she needed to clear her head.

Of course, Hange was delighted to be able to live in said mountains. A large cave that was slightly hidden away gave her a beautiful view of the valley. A large piece of rock jutted out from the cave, giving her room for a proper landing. Inside, she had all the care she needed, a proper bed and stove, torches lit up all along the walls, and it was surprisingly sanitary. From far off, her place of dwelling was almost invisible, making it a perfect place to dwell.

It was the way Hange lived, and she was not ashamed.

Hange flew down the mountain silently, descending down into the valley, when she saw trouble brewing in the distance. Just miles off, there was a small duck pond, and on the edge, a thrashing dragon. Hange picked up speed, but kept as far a distance as possible. She edged towards a nearby forest and lowered. She sensed that the dragon wasn’t rogue, or trying to feast on anything, but instead it was struggling. Hange felt her wings brush against the tops of the trees, as she was sure to get as low as possible. Whatever was causing this dragon harm, Hange felt the need to investigate.

Now closer, Hange could see the reason for the dragon’s danger. A group of five knights were surrounding it, all armed with swords and shields. A net was being tangled over the dragon’s body, or at least, the knights were trying their damned best. This was a peculiar occasion, as most dragons chose to, or were _able_ to blow fire. However this one just chose to snap and bare its sharp teeth. That was another observation Hange would have to write down in her journal.

Hange was shaken from her thoughts when she chose that it would be best for her to shift from dragon to human. After all, soon the humans would spot her, and surely try to kill her too. So she descended through the trees, and slowly shifted her body. Shifting wasn’t a problem to her. It simply felt like her dragon form was melting into her human body. The bones would actually break and reform inside her body, but given that the shift happened in a matter of seconds, Hange barely felt it. The wings always seemed to fold and melt against her back, and then, she was a woman again. Of course, the transition was slightly difficult when she was mid-flight, so her body hit the ground hard.

She hit the ground running, and was sprinting through the trees quickly but quietly. Hange had to find that dragon, she had to see what the knights would do about this one. She knew the outcome, but given that Hange hadn’t been in contact with knights for a long time, she just wanted to watch what they would do.

Hange reached the edge of the wood and peered through the trees. It was rare for her to actually go after those who wished to do other dragons harm. After all, she happened to be one of them. And being caught in her human form was even risky. How exactly was she supposed to explain wandering randomly and spying on Sina’s greatest knights? Even those who supposedly worshipped them didn’t dare follow them out to the battle field. Rather, they preferred to stay at a safe distance, which was understandable considering that the average civilian was slightly against being devoured by a great beast.

 In the field of wheat, she saw the dragon thrashing about and roaring, being pursued by five humans. As she suspected, it was a group of knights. Hange watched closely at who appeared to be their leader. The man was shorter than the others, but what he lacked in height he made up with- just about everything else. He was unspeakably nimble, and practically danced around the dragon when dodging. His swordsmanship was incredibly skilled as he tore at the dragon’s wings and quickly backed away, which intrigued Hange. Though he was killing part of her species, she was in awe at his skills and strength. The rest of the team had gathered a net with weights on the ends and then threw it over the dragon’s body. Now immobilized, the dragon lay still. Hange’s nails dug into the tree she had hidden behind as she watched what happened next.

The dark haired leader approached the dragon and raised his sword. Hange stared with anticipation and waited for him to behead the dragon, just like every mission went. He raised his sword, and looked as though he were to strike when-

He stopped. His form altered, and he almost put down his sword. The leader appeared to be staring directly at his prey. Something had caught him off guard. The moment of hesitation, the look in his eyes said all too clearly that he was reconsidering his choice to eradicate an innocent creature.

“ _Go on…_ ” Hange whispered, almost inaudibly. “ _Have mercy._ ”

But of course, it was all too good to be true. A shrill voice called out to him, sounding concerned breaking the young man out of his trance.

“Captain Levi! What are you waiting on? You must kill it before it can try and escape!”

The voice belonged to a young woman, with pretty auburn hair and a gentle composure. The three other men agreed with her, and reminded their leader of their mission. They seemed to notice the glimmer of guilt and remorse written on his face, and quite frankly, that wasn’t a good sign for any of them. He then shook himself off a bit and quickly brought his sword down.

In an instant, the dragon was dead, and its once struggling body was limp and still. The leader, this so called _Levi_ glanced at the blood spilling out of the dragon with disdain and turned his attention back to his team.

However, Hange felt so excited and so shocked that she had leaned just too far. The Captain stopped in his tracks and looked directly towards the trees. Hange whipped behind the tree and tried not to make a peep.

 _“Shit. If he really saw me, I’m completely screwed over,”_ she thought, praying with all her might.

To Hange’s good fortune, she heard the man beginning to give orders again. The group sounded as though they were about to leave. The deed was done, and they were to celebrate with a round of drinks when they returned. Hange sat against the tree until she heard them mount their horses, and the sound of hooves pounding against the ground became more distant.

Slowly, Hange walked around the tree and out towards the corpse of the dragon. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was rather young. The dragon was quite the beauty- dark green scales that almost glittered in the sunlight; large and leathery wings, not a scratch on them, with the exception of the tear the knight had made. It was a shame that such a creature had to die.

It was even more a shame that it had to die at the hands of a man who found grief in killing a blameless creature.

            Hange knelt down beside the dragon’s corpse, and thought for a while. She thought about the dragon, the knights, and the man, Levi. He had precisely what Hange needed. Based on her observations of the team and his skills, they must’ve been greatly admired. Best of all, he was their leader. He had strength, stamina, but best of all, a great mind. That moment of hesitation was all Hange needed to see.

            Hange began to mentally plan things out. She was going to need this young knight’s help. Of course, her planned methods of getting him to cooperate with her were rather risky. He could kill her. Or worse, she could kill _him._ Nonetheless, if Hange ever planned to bring a rise of change within Sina, she’d need to act off of one little theory.

            So she ran.

Hange sped through the trees, soon to be back at her cave to initiate her plan. She would need to fly over Sina by night, when the knights had retired and were rendered almost completely defenseless. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as her face twisted into a grin and the dragon shifter hollered with joy.


	2. Taken!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sina is lovely at night- that is until a dragon sneaks in and kidnaps a certain special someone.

“Absolutely not.”

“Moblit! You should have seen it! He was amazing, practically an unstoppable warrior!” Hange shouted, pacing around the cave. Mobilt leaned against the wall of the cave and wrung his hands. Of course, if there was anyone out there who would risk their life to kidnap some overly-powerful midget with an obvious moral compass, it would be Hange.

“I rest my case, Hange! This knight, Levi, he’s the most well-known knight in Sina and beyond! No doubt he could kill you. Even if you would capture him, there’s a minimal chance that he’ll take a chance and listen to what you have to say, _especially_ in the form of a dragon!” Moblit argued, wearing himself down. He took a seat at one of the chairs and sighed. He wouldn’t be working for Hange if he were in a well-paying job. That, and the fact that he had helped her many times before, and she had done the same, kept him as her assistant and friend.

“He has _everything_ we need, Moblit. He has strength, intellectuality, _status_. If we get him on our side, we won’t need to be cooped up in this cage anymore. Remember why we’re here?”

“I remember, but there won’t be any sort of uprising if you die!”

“I won’t die!” Hange argued with a scowl. She then calmed herself and looked up at Moblit with a determined stature. “I have no choice but to capture him. He’s our only chance.”

Moblit looked as though he was going to protest again, but just sighed and gave up. He found himself rubbing his hands together anxiously as the woman walked out of the cave. She had had a tendency to be far too reckless for her own good. If they could get the most loyal and famous knight on their side, revealing the corruption within Sina’s government would be easy part. Trying to prevent Levi from murdering Hange for her ill behavior would be the real challenge.

“Moblit,” Hange called from the edge of their home. “Why don’t you hide for a while or maybe go back home? I think the knight will only be able to deal with one dragon shifter.”

Moblit smiled and nodded. He’d hide in the back of the cave and remain human. Perhaps when this knight was calm enough, he’d provide company. After all, being captured by an unusually optimistic dragon, he’d need the semi-normal company.

Hange looked back at Moblit and gave an optimistic smile. She then turned and began running towards the ledge of the mountain, and sprung off. For a moment, she plummeted towards the base of the mountain, which would be the last sight she would see.

That is, if she weren't a dragon.

Hange quickly flapped her wings and flew at a fast pace away from the mountain. Getting her target back to the cave would be the easy part. Managing to get him out in the open and avoiding his comrades would be more challenging. So she had to think more like a human than a dragon. Levi and his squad obviously had experience taking down mindless creatures who knew nothing but physical defense. Hange would have to get him alone and then disarm him quickly. Otherwise she’d be taken down and killed. If she were to shift back into a human and somehow escape their line of sight, they’d know her dragon form and her unusual intelligence and ability to disappear, so they would be prepared.

From a distance, Hange saw torches dotted around the streets. Some windows were lit up in homes and shops. The setting of the sun didn’t stop Sina from being a lively little town. Drunks, families, and drunk families littered the streets.

Hange descended slowly as she approached the town. Flying at night was much easier, as she could get reasonably close to Sina without being seen. She squinted at one particular pub, a popular one at that. Based on her observation of the small crowd outside of it, she predicted that they were there to see Levi and his squad. Hange lowered towards the ground even more until her claws brushed the ground, and she shifted back into a human and approached the town.

Walking onto the main street, Hange tried not to look like she just dropped in from the woods on her way to kidnap a famous knight. She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders tightly and approached a man who looked quite intoxicated. He was laughing loudly with some men just outside of the pub. When the man looked up and saw Hange, he grinned obnoxiously. Hange forced a “shy” smile and walked over to him.

“Excuse me, sir, do you know where Sir Levi might be?” she asked with a sweet smile. The man smiled back and showed his disgustingly yellowed teeth.

“That I do. The man and his buddies are inside. What’s eatin’ ya?”

“I’m here to speak with him about important matters, but I’m afraid pubs just aren’t quite my preferred setting. Will you go inside and tell him that a diplomat from Rose is here to see him and wants to meet him privately?” she asked, batting her eyelashes and then holding out some gold coins. “While you’re in there, why don’t you buy you and I some drinks, huh?”

“Sure thing sweetheart,” he winked and walked inside the pub. Hange tried not to feel nauseous at the sight of the drunkard. He wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight to behold, and his wobbly stance made her feel as though he’d collapse and then vomit on her lap. Shaking off the thought of the man, Hange quietly slipped out of sight, and walked by the side of the pub.  The patch of forest right behind it made a great hiding place for Hange. She hid just behind some shrubs and a tree and watched.

And waited.

Then, after only moments, she saw him out in the open. Dark haired, unusual height, and a calm demeanor, just as she had seen him earlier in the day. He looked around with a scowl, and wandered in a circle. Hange shifted her foot and slipped, causing the bushes to rustle. Through the branches, she saw Levi’s head snap up, and he began to walk slowly down the small alley and towards her. Of course, she was out of sight, but her heart still pounded.

“Hello?” he called out with a blank expression. Hange held her breath and tried not to make too much noise as she began to stretch her limbs.

Hange’s skin grew tougher and more of a deep golden color. Soon her skin was so rough that scales formed, and her feet and hands grew, shifting into claws. Her bones began breaking and immediately reforming, so quickly that she hardly felt the pain. Her face grew longer and her internal temperature rose. Steam began to rise from her skin and her teeth grew sharper.

“Who the hell is there?” Levi called sharply. By now, Hange was almost fully shifted, and she had slinked into the trees to avoid being seen. She watched as Levi walked to the edge of the forest, withdrawing his sword, and decided that it was time to strike.

Hange shot out of the trees and revealed herself, causing Levi to nearly leap back.  
“4 METER DRAGON. EVACUATE!” he yelled out so that the entire town could hear. Hange cringed and launched herself at him.

Levi swung his sword, cutting her leg, and causing Hange to cringe. She took flight, but didn’t dare blow a puff of fire. Then, in mid-air she rammed into Levi, with strong enough force to knock the sword out of his hands, but not quite enough to really hurt him. Levi cursed and swung his fists. His eyes were wide with alarm, but he didn’t seem as terrified as any other person would be.

She heard shouting from the pub, the sound of his squad gathering to fight. Civilians ran to see what was happening and screamed at the sight of Hange. She tried not to be distracted as Levi continued to fight with his fists. But Hange growled and swept a paw over his torso. She had him in hand.

Just as she began to take flight, a net flew over her body, and in seconds, she was tangled in rope. Hange clenched her teeth, trying to resist blowing fire and burning everything in sight. She panicked as the other members of his squad sprung out of nowhere, shouting orders and moving lightly on their feet.

Hange switched her mindset. As of that evening, she was a wild creature. The ropes couldn’t be that strong. Yes, the weights were a distraction, but the rope itself could be broken. So she held Levi in one claw, where he was thrashing and cursing, and took the other one and scratched at the rope, while backing as far from the buildings as she could.

Levi continued to struggle and beat her paw. He scratched and punched and gave her a glare strong enough to kill ten men. It became such a distraction that Hange decided it best to use the perfect method of silencing. She paused for a split second, lifted her paw in front of her snout with him in hand and looked Levi dead in the eyes.  
“I think it’s best if you stop thrashing about,” she said with an emotionless tone, and quiet enough that only he could here. Levi suddenly stopped and looked at her with horror and disgust. She was one of the only dragons able to articulate and speak, so of course it would shock anyone. It appeared to be quite useful.

Hange reared back on her hind legs and started to rip at the netting more. The knights below her began to dive towards her open belly, swords loosely in hand.  Hange tried to control her own excitement so she wouldn’t actually crush them, and instead decided to try and use her wings.

“Eld! Take the others and retreat! Don’t’ waste your lives on this!” Levi yelled. Based on the dragon’s activity, he observed that its only goal was to take him. It didn’t seem to be trying to hurt anyone unless provoked. And if provoked, it could easily kill his teammates.

“But Captain!”

“Get back!”

While Levi barked orders to his squad, Hange, continued to struggle with the weights. The task was bothersome, but Hange managed to lift herself off the ground. The group below began to retreat, still screaming at each other about their captured captain. Certainly this event would be a tragedy, and wasn’t quite fair to the humans. After all, Hange had abilities that other dragons did not.

Performing a sloppy barrel roll, Hange finally freed herself of the net and took flight. She didn’t dare look down at the town, and tried to ignore the arrows that were whizzing past her head. They had gotten to the crossbows damn quickly. It was a blessing that half of the men were buzzed with beer and their aim was well- absolute shit.

Meanwhile, wrapped inside the secure grasp of Hange’s grip, was Levi, who wasn’t having a very good time. He cursed her and beat her claws. Hange tried not to feel guilty as she flew. Having him endure a flight that was so far off the ground was pretty cruel. And she figured that while they flew he might as well get used to the idea that she was a little unusual.

“Your name is Levi, correct?” She asked, looking down at him. He glared back with fire in his eyes.

“How the hell can you speak, you incompetent shit-stain? My name won’t matter after you’re dead.”

“Riiiight.”

Hange decided that perhaps conversation wasn’t the best idea. Levi just about gave up struggling after a few minutes, but continued to let out the occasional slur at any bump or sudden turn. They flew over the valley, forest, and soon went into the mountains. Only the light of the moon and stars provided Hange some clarity of the objects in front of her. If Moblit was still inside their home, the torches should still be lit.

Sure enough, Hange spotted the light of the cave close ahead. She looked down at Levi as she descended. He was still, and had one deadpan expression on his face. It was obvious that he had faced many dangerous situations with dragons, however a kidnapping certainly was new. It was clear that he was maintaining his calm, because panicking wouldn’t end well for either of them.

Hange landed directly at the mouth of the cave and sat right at the entrance, making escape impossible. Levi landed roughly on the ground when Hange released him, and immediately reached to draw his sword. His face twisted into frustration when he remembered that Hange had disarmed him. He glared up at Hange with fury and tightened his hands into fists.

“What the hell is going on?” he growled in a low tone. Hange sat down slowly, now relaxed with the knowledge that he was no threat.

“This is your new home,” she gave him a toothy grin. “I need you here for a while for some plans I have. Believe me, you’ll cave once you hear about the shitty people you’ve been working for all this time!”

Levi spat in disgust and glared up at her. “What put you under the impression that I’m going to help you? I’d rather you just eat me.”

“You may be my captured princess, but you’re no snack,” Hange laughed and shook her head. “I suggest you adjust to this for a while. You may call me Madame Zoe.”

“No way in hell.”

Hange giggled at his disdain. She was well aware that the name was ridiculous, and her joking was wildly inappropriate, but somehow she just didn’t give a damn. Levi puffed in frustration and began walking further into the cave.

“I’m sick of your disgusting face,” he spat, and wandered off. Hange felt that it might be best to stop him, but it wasn’t like he was leaving the cave. So she let him wander off by himself why she sat in the cave entrance. The late night began to overtake her, and soon Hange felt like sleep was more important than anything. Surely the knight would be weary as well, and would find sleep on one of the velvet cushions she had lying around in the cave. So she allowed her eyes to droop and was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Meanwhile, Levi was blowing off steam as he walked deeper into the cave. The place was surprisingly clean and well lit. he wondered how the dragon managed to actually keep a tidy home. Not to mention she seemed to be quite wealthy. A crevice in the wall had bookshelves that towered over him, there was a small cooking area, large velvet cushions scattered in one area, and, the most obvious feature, a mound of collected treasures that stood right in front of Levi. Books, clothes, gold and many other special objects sat lifeless on top of each other. The dragon must have travelled a great deal and burned many villages. It was a wonder why he had never heard of her. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted something glittering in the pile.

A perfectly sharp dagger.

A sigh of relief  escaped Levi’s lips as he drew closer to the pile, and picked up the dagger. There was no way he’d let himself be shoved into a cage with some hysterical dragon for an extended period of time. If he wanted to ever see his previous life again, he would have to dispose of her immediately. Levi looked the dagger up and down. Yes, its blade could pierce the dragon’s neck and kill her. Then he’d make his escape down the mountain and into the valley, where it was safer. He’d make it back to Sina by dawn. That is, if Zoe were asleep. He wouldn’t stand a chance if she was awake and still guarding the entrance.

So Levi put away the dagger and slunk quietly throughout the cave, making his way back to the dragon. The assassination would have to be quick and brutal. He could make that happen with ease. Levi peeked around the corner and saw the large dragon still sitting in front of his exit. Upon closer inspection, he saw that her eyes were shut, and her breathing soft. It was the perfect opportunity, and he wouldn’t pass it up.

Slowly, Levi walked closer and closer, until he stood directly above the dragon’s snout. What a pity, she looked so peaceful when she slept. And she might have been the only dragon able to articulate. But it wasn’t like he’d mourn over her death. She captured him, and he had to escape. It was his only choice.

Levi gripped the dagger and raised it above his head, ready to strike down on the dragon. An especially fleshy spot on her neck was the perfect target. All he had to do was bring the knife down.

Inhaling sharply, Levi began to tightened the muscles in his arm when-

“Stop!”

Quick as a blur, a man threw himself between the slumbering dragon and Levi’s knife. A head of light brown hair and large eyes stared up at him, wide with fear.  “You’re making a mistake!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha cliffhanger.  
> Alright, guys, here’s chapter 2! This one had many more words due to the fact that I just have trouble writing introductions and first chapters, not to mention I just wanted to stuff a lot in this chapter. I’m predicting that each chapter will be about this length, if not less. I’ll try my best.  
> It makes me so happy to see people like this fic! Love you guys, thanks for the wonderful comments!


	3. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tfw ya girl is a dragon and also you're trying to kill her.

“So you’re saying that you live with her voluntarily?”

“That’s right.”

Levi sat with a cup of warm tea in hand. The young brunet-haired man, Moblit, sat across from him, telling Levi of his living conditions with Hange. It had taken a little time for him to get Levi away from the still slumbering dragon and convince him that- _Yes I know she kidnapped you, but hear me out she’s a pretty okay person._

“Then why’d that bitch go and kidnap me?” he scowled, taking an aggressive sip of tea. Moblit suppressed a smile, but not without Levi noticing, causing more annoyance to simmer in his stomach.

“She felt as though you’re…adequate for some plans of hers. See, she may have spotted you and your team going out on a mission. She’s under some _ridiculous_ impression that you hesitated in killing your target, and thinks that you _by chance_ hate working under the king,” Moblit chuckled. Saying her brilliant plan out loud didn’t make it seem so brilliant.

Meanwhile Levi nearly choked on his drink. She had seen him hesitate to kill one dragon! Though her observation skills may have been unusually sharp, but her decision was obviously overly impulsive. Like hell he’d help her. It may have been true that he had his suspicions about the king and his court- _no,_ he hated them. He had given tooth and nail to get out of the gutters and out from under their boots, just to find that they were merciless killers who did nothing for those with nothing.

Of course he wanted to defy his orders.

Levi’s thoughts were brutally cut short by the sound of Moblit standing from his chair. The young man smiled at Levi. “I know it sounds positively ridiculous, but Hange, though absurd and a bit reckless, is far smarter than you think,” he said softly, looking over to the sleeping dragon. “And, she isn’t what I would call monstrous. You’ll see that in time.”

“Right. Well I think I’ll take a couple of those cushions and maybe get some shut eye. Just make sure she doesn’t eat me, alright?” Levi scoffed, tossing the two large cushions against the cave wall. He didn’t care if Moblit would keep the torches going all night, his body ached and begged for rest. He could try escaping again the following day, whether this Moblit liked it or not.

Moblit nodded at Levi and went down a small hallway, presumably to what would be his room. Levi didn’t bother saying anything else, instead, blew out a couple of torches, and collapsed on the soft velvet cushions, letting sleep overcome him.

“So he’s only seen you in dragon form?”

“That’s correct. Otherwise, he would have escaped ages ago.”

“Speaking of that…”  
“He tried to kill me last night, I know.”

“Y-you do?! But why didn’t yo-“

“Shh! He’s waking up!”

Hange beamed down at a waking Levi. His hair was mussed up in a fashion that Hange silently thought was quite attractive. His expression, on the other hand, was one to be truly feared. He wore a bitter scowl and drooped eyes. Levi looked truly exhausted, and truly ready to kill. When he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, the first thing he did was glare up at Hange and curse under his breath. In return, she showed off her sharp teeth in a rather goofy smile.

“Good morning, Sir Knight! Did you sleep well?”

“Piss off,” Levi grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes some more. When he had first awoken, he almost expected to see Auruo complaining about how he looked too old, and Eld and Gunter laughing at his dismay. But instead, he woke up to an enemy that he had met his match with, and a human who somehow took her side.

He’d had worse mornings, though.

“Moblit prepared breakfast. Don’t you worry about starving, Levi. We’ll only deprive you of precious nutrient sources if you do something completely ridiculous like setting one of us on fire!” Hange said optimistically. She acted as though it was just an ordinary morning, and Levi lived with a senile dragon and stressed out assistant. Despite this, Levi stood up and accepted a rather hearty looking plate of food from Moblit, and ate. After all, he’d need his strength living with those two.

From the corner of his eye, Levi watched Hange scarf down her food with pleasure. It was strange seeing that she didn’t prey on sheep or pigs like any ordinary dragon. Eggs? Vegetables? That didn’t seem like something a dragon would find appetizing. Then again, she did seem completely off her rocker, so there was no telling what she’d do. After eating, Hange wandered out of the cave, apparently to go and gather fruit. Moblit stayed with Levi, pointing out different places on the mountainside, jabbering on about which side had good food, lots of cattle, or the shadiest trees.

After breakfast was finished, Levi watched quietly as Moblit fussed over Hange when she returned, while seemingly packing his bags. He slung a bag over his back and began to leave, waving goodbye to Hange and Levi. Levi walked towards the edge of the cave and glanced up at Hange, who watched Moblit leave. Now that it was afternoon, Levi could see Hange much clearer. She had bronze scales that shone whenever light were to touch it. Her wings, which were folded over her body, were leathery and dry. Not to mention, she was pretty large in size. It was rather clever of her to block off the cave entrance with her massive body.

The dragon caught him staring and glanced back down at Levi. “Don’t worry about Moblit,” she said. “He’ll be back soon. But for now he has another job and a family to attend to. To the others, I’m a wealthy farmer who lives on the outskirts of Sina, and pays quite well!” She chuckled at how different the thought was from reality, when she noticed that Levi’s cold stare went unchanging.

“What is it, Levi?” she asked.

“I wasn’t captured for idle chit chat. You owe me an explanation. Why did you bring me here? And what do you know about the King being so ‘corrupt’?” Levi demanded. Hange sat down in the sun and thought for a moment.

“I know more than you think, Levi. Your ruler, King Fritz, isn’t quite the man you think you work for. You’re sent out to kill dragons to protect the people, are you not? Tell me, how far have you travelled? Have you ever killed dragons that seemed to not be a threat at all? Don’t tell me you haven’t done it before. I’ve seen groups of knights travel great distances and go to great lengths just to kill these dragons. Now tell me Levi,” Hange said, looking him in the eyes. “How many innocent creatures’ lives have you taken?”

Levi stared at Hange, his eyes wide. His mouth opened a bit, but no words flew out. He was angry, that was for sure. But she had him pinned. No one had dared question his actions, much less the King’s. Hange pointed out a major flaw in his job. It was true; they had gone great distances to murder those dragons. And their gear and armor was well funded. It was absolutely top priority that dragons were slain, “For the subjects of Sina act as a foundation of the kingdom, and without that foundation, the kingdom would surely fall”.

“A wolf hunts so that it may eat, Levi. Not so that it destroys any weak creature in its path,” Hange said. “And I do have one more question for you.”

“Alright.”

“Have you ever seen anyone try and stand up to the King? Maybe protest to your actions? You are known for bringing back prizes, after all.”

Levi thought for a moment. Months ago, Sina was attacked by a dragon. Two or three houses were damaged, a sheep was killed, and some of the knights were injured. He recalled a young man yelling after the incident had been neutralized. He shouted about seeing the dragon only try to take a sheep, and that it was only hungry. But his words were swept away by some of the castle guards barking orders to citizens and knights alike, and the man was presumably lost in the crowd.

“Perhaps once,” Levi said curtly. “It’s not like they lynched him.”

“Really? I’m surprised he didn’t receive any sort of punishment,” Hange replied, slowly getting to her feet and turning back.

_Punishment?_

“Just what are you implying, dragon. What do you know?” Levi asked with a glare. She was hiding something. She couldn’t have gotten this knowledge or this kind of curiosity by herself or even with Moblit’s help. No, she seemed to speak from experience. “You’re hiding something. Something happened with you and the government. What was it?”

Hange stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head, a darker look in her eye. “I don’t have to have any experience to know what I know. There’s nothing I need to say.”

But based off of her now heavy footsteps and lack of useless blabbering, there was most definitely something that had happened. He wasn’t eager to crack open her shell and let her spill all her feelings, but it certainly would help to know why she was so bitter.

Meanwhile Hange sat in the cave, and picked at her claws, feeling rather frustrated. Her experience in the past was a secret she didn’t care to bring up, though she lived with it constantly. A memory was permanently burned into her brain. She distinctly remembered her fingernails growing slowly, turning into claws. She remembered how confused and scared she was. Hange didn’t know what was happening to her body, but she did recognize that one bastard’s twisted face-

No, she couldn’t open up to Levi like that. There was no way. So instead, she sat in silence.

Hange seemed to mope a while, while Levi sat on the rock and thought. He didn’t care what bullshit she kept blabbering on about, he’d try to escape again. And if not through simply walking out, he’d try his next method.

“Hange,” Levi called from outside of the cave, keeping his gaze away from the dragon. He heard her footsteps, which were lighter, implying that she had regained her composure.

“Yes, Levi?” she asked. Even her tone of voice returned to normal- annoyingly charming.

“Besides Moblit’s visits up here, you’re completely alone, aren’t you?”

“Why yes! I love the mountain! All the wildflowers and animals are a beautiful site! And boy are they interesting test subjects. Just the other day I was…”

_Shit. Wrong move._

“What about family?” Levi asked, interrupting her passionate speech about the various lizards she had spotted. She stopped cold in her sentence. Right away, Levi could tell that he had hit a nerve. A sharp fang slid over her bottom lip, and Hange thought for a moment.

“D-dead.”

“Friends?”

“Besides Moblit, none,” she said rather rapidly, and turned the tables, and Levi had hoped. “What about you? Shouldn’t your family and friends be sending out dozens of search parties by now?”

“They might send out one. But my isn’t something I prefer to discuss. As for friends, I’d have to say my comrades would be the closest people I have. You know, the ones you swatted aside and nearly crushed when kidnapping me,” Levi said, trying to insert a bit of agony in every word. But if he were to overdo it, surely she wouldn’t buy the whole charade. “Given that you don’t have anyone on the mountain to drink with, I wouldn’t expect that you know just what you’ve stolen.”

“You think I don’t know anything about loss?” Hange said, with just a bit of venom in her words.

“I never said that. I just expected that you’d be able to empathize.”

“That’s difficult, considering your teammates tried to kill me,” Hange said in a matter-of-fact tone. Levi scoffed.

“That’s because you kidnapped me. They consider me their good friend, you know. I’m not just their leader. This may be hard for you to swallow, but I actually hold great sentimental attachment to my comrades too.”

“Well then, why don’t you tell me about them,” Hange said.

“What?” Levi blinked.

“Tell me about your team.”

Levi thought for a moment about them. About Eld, Gunter, Auruo and Petra. He then took a deep breath, and spilled his memories on the floor next to Hange. He told her about the first day he met them, and how all of them were so excited to work with the “one mane army”. Levi told her about Petra’s gentle and motherly nature, and how she almost seemed to be the glue of the group at times. He talked about Auruo, who was one hell of a fighter, but clumsy and awkward outside of his career. Not that that was a bad thing; in fact, Levi found it quite humorous at times. Gunter and Eld had the most powerful, goofiest friendship he had ever seen, and matched each other perfectly. With their undeniably exquisite skills and strong bond, they made the most powerful team in all of Sina.

“But their drinking skills are probably more advanced than their damned fighting skills,” Levi huffed, smiling internally.

By this time, the sun was beginning to set in the west, and the air was cooling. Hange sat close to Levi, hung on every word he said. For a seemingly stone cold man, his voice sure did soften when he talked about the fondness he had developed for his squad. For a moment, the man seemed far away. He genuinely did care about them, and by his description, they were good people. Hange’s blood had boiled too much and she had momentarily forgotten her self-control. She’d have to improve on that.

“Oi Hange,” a voice disrupted her thoughts. If she had human skin, a blush would color her cheeks. She realized that

  1.        Levi had stopped talking for a while.
  2.        She had been staring directly at him the entire time



“I’m listening!” Hange smiled, jumping a bit. Levi raised an eyebrow and sighed.

“Why are you so interested, anyway?" he asked her.

“Curiosity. They did seem to be rather fond of you. I wanted to find out what kind of people they are, perhaps to feel a little more human,” She said. Levi grimaced at that.

“You can try and ‘feel human’ all you want, but you’re still a damned monster,” he said, getting to his feet and walking back inside. Hange didn’t follow. She tried not to let those words get to her. After all, to Levi, she was a dragon, and she had taken him away from the secure life that he had. It was expected that he’d think of her as an emotionless creature. So instead of moping, Hange grabbed a book and buried her nose in it.

The cave was silent from late afternoon, until the sun began to sink into the horizon. Hange and Levi ate dinner in silence, and Hange took her place at the front of the cave. When Moblit came back, he was surprised to see that the two were ignoring each other, but he shrugged it off and went to clean the back area of the cave, and went down a hall where his room was.

Levi sat, pretending as though he were reading, when in reality he was waiting for Hange to fall asleep. He’d make his second attempt to escape, this time sparing Hange’s life. _With enough precision, I should be able to slip past her and run down the mountain. The dragons should just give up at this rate. She knows I won’t help her,_ he thought. If the bickering they had both done that day hadn’t sent a clear message to Hange, he didn’t know what else would. So instead of dealing with a life like this, Levi sat, and waited for his right chance.

 Hours past as Levi stayed awake, waiting for the first light of day. His body begged him to sleep, but he stubbornly refused. Levi gripped the sharp knive that Moblit thought he had put back. Just in case the situation went especially sour.

Levi snapped to attention when he saw that the crack of dawn shone over the mountainside. Certainly, it was time. He silently got to his feet and snuck around the corner.

_Just sneak over her tail, that’s all I have to do. Then I’m free from that creature. I just have to-_

A wave of chills went down down Levi’s spine as he froze in his tracks. He wouldn’t have to step over Hange’s tail.

Not when she didn’t have one.

_“…she isn’t what I would call monstrous. You’ll see that in time.”_

In the mighty dragon’s place, lay a young woman. She had dark coffee-brown hair, a muscular figure, and a dusty tunic that was draped on her figure. She occasionally grinned, muttered, and twitched in her sleep, murmuring about the most ridiculous things. It was undoubtedly Hange. He recognized her voice through all the muttering she did. It was so uncomfortably human. Suddenly Levi understood why she knew so much about Sina and the human world. If she had all this information, she must have gotten it not only through Moblit, but through herself. And there seemed to be no pattern to when she was human and when she was a dragon. After all, she had kidnapped him at night, and stayed a dragon until now. It must’ve been by will that she could switch back and forth. Except this time, it appeared accidental. _She must be dreaming about being a human or something,_ Levi thought. It was almost sickening how peaceful and- well _human_ she looked fast asleep.

Levi had to go. He had to return to his team and run away before she woke. But there was dirt in her hair and clothes. It simply wouldn’t be humane to leave her lying on the cold ground. So, with a sigh or annoyance, Levi gently picked up Hange and carried her inside the cave. She nestled into his arm, looking quite comfortable. But he lay her body down on the cushions and draped the nearest blanket over her body.

_What a pity, this would’ve been interesting._

But no, Levi wouldn’t stay any longer.

Without a word, he ran out of the cave, away from Hange, away from Moblit, down the mountainside, to return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trash whO HAD EXTREME WRITERS BLOCK MY APOLOGIES. I expect these next chapters to start rolling once these two stop despising each other. Thank you all for being incredibly patient, I'm overwhelmed by all the kudos and kind comments!   
> Remember that you can find me at soulswimm-r (or soulspoop-r rn for halloween) on tumblr or ff.net


	4. Atmosphere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's escape plan doesn't go as planned, but he at least learns that there is beauty and also corruption far beyond his little world of Sina.

Hange awoke with a start, and the first thing that she thought was, “ _Flesh_ ”. As in the flesh on her arms and legs and belly. _No no no this wasn’t supposed to happen,_ she thought. Her heart pounded as she scrambled to her feet and nearly tripped over a cushion. Cursing under her breath, Hanji came to the conclusion that her dreams had caused her to shift _back_ into a human. To make matters worse, she whipped around and realized that- _this wasn’t her sleeping space. This was Levi’s._ And he was nowhere to be seen.

 “Moblit!” she shrieked, tearing at her hair. “Moblit!”

She broke out into a sprint to leave the cave, and in moment’s time, Moblit was by her side, still shaking out sleep, but running. Over the years he had learned to always be ready to run, to fly away at a moment’s notice. He was also easily able to read situations quickly. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that Levi’s absence was the reason for Hanji’s distress. And of course, he looked quite stressed already due to Hange’s shrieking.They leapt off the ledge of the mountain in unison, and transformed simultaneously.

Hange led the flight, scanning the mountainside for any sign of Levi. They flew low, their bellies nearly brushing any tree that happened to be in the way. A strange sense of urgency overwhelmed Hange, and it almost shamed her to think about why. If Levi were to make it back to Sina, he’d surely gather a hunting party and come back for Hange and Moblit. They’d be tracked down and killed as soon as possible. But another thought ate at Hange’s conscious: The mountainside wasn’t meant for Levi. He may have had experience as a knight, but there was no team to help him, no long range weapons on his person. Any dragon in the area would not hesitate to pick him up in its jaws and swallow him. Sure, Levi wasn’t exactly on her side, but that didn’t mean she wanted him dead

A patch of trees caught Hange’s eye, where she saw rustling and birds flying away in a panic.

“Over there!” she called to Moblit. He looked down and understood what she was looking at. They circled the area for a while, trying to find what was causing a fuss. An aggressive growl answered their questions, and a flash of a white wing caught their attention.  Along with that, they heard a voice shouting profanities that no doubt belonged to Levi. Hange looked over to Moblit and beckoned him to dive down

“You take it by the neck, I’ll get Levi!” she called to Moblit.

“On it!”

Hange plummeted to the ground, and sure enough, he was there, dodging the dragon’s fiery breath and sharp claws. The very same golden dagger that he had tried to kill Hange with in hand, dodging and jumping about, Levi showed that he was quite nimble. Though he was out of breath and slightly singed, Levi almost gave the impression that he could take the dragon. The rugged man looked up, and finally spotted the two dragons.

When he saw Hange, his face contorted into a mix of relief, frustration, and regret; and he eyed Moblit, whom he had yet to see in dragon form before. Hange quickly planted herself between Levi and the dragon, which by its behavior, appeared to be rogue. She quickly inhaled, feeling her chest begin to sizzle and fester from within. With a puff, Hange released a column of flames into the dragon’s face, causing it to cry out in distress. Its chest began to glow as it tried to will fire, but not before Moblit flew in and body slammed the creature to the ground. The heavy weight of Moblit on the rogue became too much, and the creature cried out in surrender.

Once Moblit had decided that the dragon had had enough, he climbed off, but not ceasing to show off his massive fangs afterwards. Hange stood solidly above Levi, sending off aggressive signals as well. They were sure to make one message clear: _Walk away or suffer dire consequences._ The dragon finally crawled to its feet, looking humiliated and angry. With a snarl, it bounded away and took flight, leaving the three alone in the forest in silence.

Hange stood trying to catch her breath, and then slowly shifted down into a human, much to Levi’s shock. She let out a loud yawn, and grinned at him deviously.

“Well that was quite the little adventure we had there, wasn’t it?” she asked cheerfully.

“So you’re human, too,” Levi confirmed. Hange nodded in response.

“It’s true. I walk between two worlds. That of humans and of dragons. Moblit is the same as me. It does have its little drawbacks, though. Such as having vivid dreams that cause a little shifting between forms, as you probably saw!” Hange said sheepishly. Moblit walked over, changing back into human form.

“Hange, what are we to do?” he asked, eyeing Levi. She stopped smiling and thought for a moment, turning to the dark haired man.

“Well, Levi. Let’s strike up a deal, shall we?” she asked with an unusually devious smile. Levi glared back, but said nothing. “You owe us your life it seems. Though you were trying to escape, that can be forgiven. But that doesn’t mean you can go running off again.”

“Hange,” Moblit hissed into her ear nervously. “Don’t scare him too much! You have that look in your eye again!”

“Stay with us, Levi. You don’t have much of a choice, but perhaps it could be in your best interest to stay. Moblit and I, we can take you places far from Sina, places that you would never see otherwise. We can give you a freedom that the knights don’t have. For once, you won’t be bound by the King’s rules and restrictive boundaries. Will you come with us willingly, or not?”

Levi looked down at the ground, thinking long and hard. They didn’t seem to be giving him much of a choice. And assuming that he _did_ escape and go back to Sina, they’d just try to find him again, which would ultimately poison his name as the best dragon slayer, endanger the people, and he would be no longer welcome. In addition, every mission that he went on, every time he rode on his horse, there was a certain temptation to keep riding, to go far, far, far away from Sina. If he stayed with them, he could potentially get to see everything. But their goals of rebellion seemed poisonous, despite Levi disliking his rulers himself. Perhaps if he learned more, his opinion would change. And if it didn’t-

Well, it didn’t look like a search party would be coming his way anyway.

“I’ll go,” he said, not breaking with eye contact with Hange, who was quivering with excitement. Psychotic woman.

“Yes!” she screamed, pumping her fists in the air and nearly squeezing the life out of Moblit. Levi silently thanked his lucky stars that he didn’t have to see what she would do in this excited state if she were a dragon. She looked at Moblit, then at Levi, and back at Moblit. Without any further hesitation, her size and shape grew into her dragon form and she walked over to Levi.

“I know our very first stop,” she whispered with a toothy smile. Levi raised his eyebrows.

“We’re leaving already? And how exactly would be getting there?” Levi questioned.

“The place is called Rose, and- well-“ Hange replied, kneeling and gesturing to her back.

“You really do want me dead, don’t you?” Levi said with disapproval, approaching Hange consciously. Her scales were considerably large, so he did have something to grip onto. He stepped carefully onto her shoulder, and swung his leg over her body, as if mounting a horse. He wouldn’t dare show any sign of it, but he felt…nervous to be flying. Anything could happen to cause his demise. Hell, it could all be a trick. But Levi decided that the risk was worth it as he gripped Hange’s neck.

“Ready when you are,” he said, and Hange let out a cheer.

“We’ll fly low this time for your sake, okay?” she said, giving him a minute to prepare. When Levi finished, Hange took a running start and spread her leathery wings. Levi found himself hugging Hange’s neck as she gained speed, and nearly let out a startled yelp when he looked down and realized that they no longer touched the ground. Hange’s wings flapped beside him as they grazed the treetops, and flew above the spot where the two dragon shifters saved his life.

“How are you back there?!” Hange shouted above the wind. Levi chose not to answer as he rocked back and forth on her back, hanging on for dear life. Hange leaned over to Moblit, who flew at her side. “Let’s invest in getting him a saddle, shall we?”

Moblit looked over at Levi and smiled. “Agreed!”

Levi scowled, thinking _I must look ridiculous. Damn right you’ll be getting me a saddle._ He closed his eyes, trying to forget the fact that he was _riding a dragon_ _30 feet in the air,_ and wrapped his arms and legs a little tighter around Hange’s shoulders neck.

“Levi!” a shrill voice called after some time. He clung harder and tried to ignore the voice. He felt pathetic, clinging to Hange like a little child. Even though he had agreed to stay with the pair, Levi wasn’t exactly friendly enough towards Hange to trust that she wouldn’t drop him into the trees, killing him instantly.

“Levi!” the voice called once more and this time his head shot up, cast whoever dared call on him a dirty look. His scowl then melted when he realized that they were in fact, on the ground, and not flying any more. Hange was looking back at him, trying not to laugh.

“It’s even more frightening when you’re the one piloting and you’ve never flown before!” Hange said, laughing and slowly shifting back. They had landed in a small clearing in a forest on a dirt path, which Hange pointed at. “Come on, Rose is just in that path ahead, let’s go!”

Levi nodded, and followed Moblit and Hange, who were rambling about the perks of the town and how glad they were to see it again.

When the woods broke, a cluster of buildings were revealed, and Levi felt a sigh of relief wash over his shoulders. Civilization at last! As for Hange, she was beside herself with excitement. She turned back to Levi and gave a big cheesy grin. “You’ve never seen Rose, have you, Levi?” she asked. Levi shook his head.

“No, I haven’t left Sina.”

“Well great! I get to show you around. We’re going to get some food and books, so you’ll get to see every part!” Hange said, suddenly grasping Levi’s hand and dragging him into the streets.

Rose was beautiful, Levi silently admitted to himself. The people seemed happier and brighter than those in Sina. Their houses and streets were cleaner and radiated good energy. It was a place that Hange certainly fit into, as she bounced around, almost dancing as she dragged him along the street. Levi sensed something different about her in this place. The way she moved, the way she maneuvered around the people and turned back to tell him about the book shop she wanted to see- it was all so different than the way she acted when they were cooped up in that cave. Perhaps she felt reassured that he would be staying, and supposedly helping her overthrow the king. Or maybe it was something else. Perhaps, for the time being she genuinely felt more at home in the quaint little town of Rose.

“It’s over here!” Hange called to him over the sound of the people around them. She pulled Levi inside the shop and closed the door behind them. Levi’s eyes widened as he craned his neck upward- to see stack after stack of bookshelves. Every book imaginable- thick or thin, old or new, hard covered or barely tied together with string were on those bookshelves. The shop was so utterly still and quiet, Levi would’ve sworn all time froze when he entered.

“I want to show you my favorite section,” Hange said with a grin. Levi followed her to a corner of the shop where she pulled out at least three tall, leathery books and sat on the floor.

“Do I have to sit too?” Levi asked, disdain crawling in his tone. Hange gave him a falsely stern look until he sighed and sat with his legs crossed next to her. He peeked over her shoulder as Hange opened the crusty old book. Inside, on the page that she opened to, was a magnificent drawing of a dragon, with text scrawled around it.

“This is a book of humans recording dragon behavior,” Hange said quietly. “Of course, notice how thin it is. It has as much information as humans can record getting up close and personal with dragons without getting killed. All of this is scientific, reliable- but not very popular with the general public”

She then turned and pulled out a second book, with a hard cover and thinner pages. Hange opened it up and skimmed through it with a ghost of a smile on her face.

“This one has all sorts of legends in it. Fictional stories made up by the most creative minds, that were obviously terrified of dragons.”

“Can you blame them?”

“Oh, of course not. They’re theories are rather silly and entertaining, though. Some of them claim that dragons are demons sent from hell, or maybe that their brains are made of lava,” she laughed, and Levi scoffed. He had to admit, they were all ridiculous assumptions.

“What about this?” Levi asked, pointing to the title of a chapter, reading _“Manuel’s Point”._

“That’s one of the strangest ones,” Hange said with a scoff. “It says that if a human were to travel to Manuel’s Point- which is the highest point in the mountain range for miles, they could stand at the top during a thunderstorm, and if struck by lightning, they would be transformed into a dragon. If a dragon were to do the same, it would become human. It’s backed by all these ridiculous false stories with insane connections to each other.”

“That’s a load of bullshit.”

“Precisely! Which is what makes them so delightfully fascinating!”

“All of these were written by men who have had maybe 2 encounters with dragons,” Levi observed, looking through the books. “None of them are knights, just high class nobles or something. Even I could write better than this shit, I’ve faced dragons hundreds of times.”

“Civilians will believe what they read, unfortunately,” Hange added. Levi nodded, growing more and more disgusted with the books the more he looked at them. He looked over at Hange, who was looking at the legends, a pleasant expression on her face. He wondered if this angered her more than him, but she was more controlled. He watched her quickly change the subject and excuse herself to look at more books, turning away from the subject of inexperienced authors who made legends to scare people. The dragon shifter was bizarre, he found himself admitting, but she hid a storm that could unleash all hell if she wanted to.

Levi was shaken from his thoughts when Hange walked back over, with an armful of books, including the one filled with myths, already purchased.

“Ready to go?” she asked , and Levi nodded.

“Wait-where is Moblit?” Levi asked, feeling a bit guilty that he had all but forgotten about the other dragon shifter. He was so invested in the discussion with Hange.

“Went to the market, and we’re going to meet him there now. I’ll bet you’re hungry for some lunch, aren’t you Levi?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” He replied, following her out the door and back into the street. Now that he thought about it, his stomach was growling rather fiercely. That morning he had anticipated returning home and eating there, so he had all but a roll of bread. Not the best fuel for fighting off a dragon, he had to admit.

When the two arrived at the food market, Moblit was waiting with a basket full of all sorts of food. He waved them over with a smile and gestured towards a bench in a quieter place. Hange and Levi followed, and Hange told Moblit of their adventures in the book store. By the way she described the place, it appeared as though Hange was quite familiar with both the store and the man selling the books.

“Do the two of you visit here regularly or something?” Levi asked them.

“For necessities, yes,” Moblit replied, taking a bite out of one of the peaches he bought. “Also we just like it here more than Sina. Some people even know us. It’s nice to have a whole different identity.”

Hange nodded in agreement, “They think that we’re travelers that study wildlife. It’s a nice fresh start for us, as our reputation in Sina is…less than desirable.”

Levi raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. Did the two have a criminal record or something? Or did it have to do with their shifting abilities…? By their suddenly guarded expressions, showing that Hange had said too much, he chose not to ask, and rather ate his lunch in silence. Levi tried to enjoy the view he had of the streets. Several children were running about, playing tag, tossing balls and screeching loudly with laughter. Meanwhile their parents ran around, trying to keep them under control. Under normal circumstances, he would find sites like that to be annoying, but in the relaxed feel of the afternoon, suddenly he didn’t mind.

When finished eating, the trio decided it best to walk around the town for the afternoon, find an adequate horse saddle and rope, and stop in whatever shops they deemed interesting enough. Hange and Moblit were recognized on multiple occasions, and greeted others as though they had nothing to hide. Levi tried his best to stay quiet and avoid interaction with said people. They didn’t need an allegedly dead knight suddenly showing up and saying “Hey! Just so you know, I’m alive _and_ I hang around dragon shifters!”. They’d have hi m burned at the stake in no time.

By the time they had strolled the blocks of Rose, fed all the ducks there were to be fed, and Hange scared a few young girls when she got particularly enthusiastic about the importance of sunlight, the sun was sinking down into the sky, and the three of them had agreed that it was time to head back to the cave. They walked away from the village and back to the clearing, where Hange’s shifting would be hidden from site. Levi carried his new saddle and rope, which they would be fixing around Hange to ensure his safety.

“That was the most fun I’ve had in a while!” Hange exclaimed, slowly shifting into her dragon form. Moblit smiled and did the same, creating a rather peculiar image- a dragon carrying a tiny basket full of fruit and other food. Levi slung the saddle onto Hange’s back, and adjusted it securely until he was sure it wouldn’t fall off, and slowly hoisted himself on, breathing a sigh of relief. _Much better._

“I hope you understand that this time we’ll be flying much higher,” Hange sang smugly, stretching out her wings.

“Fine. But if you drop me, for even a second, I’ll be eating roasted overgrown lizard for supper,” Levi retorted, getting an amused reaction from both Hange and Moblit.

Moblit and Hange exchanged looks, and took a running start before leaping off the ground and flying off. Levi once again chose to cling onto Hange’s neck and close his eyes, trying to ignore the bumpy ride, and the feeling of Hange flapping her wings wildly, gaining altitude. The saddle made the ride more bearable, but the lack of forest sounds made Levi nervous. All he heard was wind and the flapping of wings. If he dropped, he would surely meet his demise. So closing his eyes seemed like the best option. Within a minute, the ride smoothed out a bit. He could tell that they were no longer climbing, but rather floating on air. Before he could react to that, a voice rang out, loud and clear. Above the wind, he heard Hange’s voice, clear, but gentle.

“Levi. Open your eyes.”

Levi could barely take it in. They were floating, alright, but they were floating above his home- above Sina. And Hange flew flat, with so much control he would’ve sworn they were back on ground. Levi managed to sit up and loosen his grip, and look down on the place that he truly loved. He could recognize the kingdom, even from so high above. It looked so peaceful, so quiet from where he was. The sun was sinking in the horizon, casting a wave of pinks and oranges rippling across the sky. They were out of sight from here. No one in the kingdom could see him, but he could see all of them.

Levi didn’t know what to feel. He didn’t know why he went with Hange and Moblit to Rose. He didn’t know why they were so friendly, and he especially didn’t know why he almost _trusted_ them. But there they were, taking him to see his home from a perspective he had never seen before. Hange had spoken to him in a way in which he knew that if he listened to what she had to say, he’d be satisfied with the results.

And though he’d blame it on the wind, a few tears trickled out of Levi’s eyes, and were blown away.

He wondered if there was anything in the world more beautiful than this.

_ _ _

“This is too big of a risk.”

“One that we should all be willing to take!”

“The chances of us actually finding him are minimal, how can we trust Erwin’s word?”

“We have no other choice.  Levi could still be out there, still alive and fighting. We can just abandon Humanity’s Strongest Soldier.”

Eld’s nails dug into the chesnut table, his face lit by the lantern that sat in the middle. Petra, Auruo, and Gunter sat around him, a team divided. Things had changed since Levi was taken from them. The undying need to take action coursed in their blood, but sending out a search party was a shot in the dark, it would be taking action on the sliver of a chance that Levi still lived.

“You all saw the way this dragon behaved. It wasn’t mindless and bloody-thirsty. All she was aiming for was to take Levi. Erwin says that this one is smarter than all the others.  Perhaps it took Levi for the kill, but perhaps he’s trying to escape. Might as well give it a shot,” Eld said.

“I won’t back down from this,” a new voice said, as if out of nowhere. Erwin emerged from the dark, addressing the team. “I’ve seen that dragon before. It escaped my attacks and showed phenomenal intelligence. However, that doesn’t mean Levi can’t outsmart it. A search party is the best option, even if it’s risky.”

“I agree with Commander Smith!” Petra spoke up, having been silent the entire meeting. “I know it’s unusual to do these things, but we all want Levi to be safe and sound. If Erwin knows the way to go, then I say we go there!”

Gunter and Auruo looked at each other, then to Eld and sighed.

“I still think this is too much of a risk. We’ll die if we go in those mountains, and it might be all for naught. But I still want to believe that Levi is alive, so we might as well go look,” Gunter surrendered.

“Well, shit, looks like I’m out-numbered,” Auruo chuckled. “Fine! Search party it is!”

The team then drew up a map of the mountains, and set their date to ride out. When the meeting ended, and all other members had left, Eld stopped Erwin.

“You said that this dragon is more intelligent than the others… How can you be sure?” he asked.

“I know that dragon anywhere. She’s escaped my grasp twice on two missions. She doesn’t aim to kill humans, just to collect treasures and survive. I imagine that she’s keeping Levi or something of that sort. She wouldn’t just kill him, not right away, at least.”

“Alright, Erwin,” Eld sighed, leaving the room. “I’ll trust your instinct.”

Erwin stood as still as a statue, clenching his fists. He was lying through his teeth. Letting the team go alone, short one member was unsafe. As for the dragon? He thought that she was off of the map, gone forever, off of the King’s radar. And now, she had Levi.

 Erwin thought he’d never see Hange again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got no excuse, my motivation for writing kinda flopped. But here I am, back in business!  
> I decided very last minute to throw in that last section, figured that some of you would want to see just what was going on with Levi's squad.  
> I should be uploading chapter 5 within the next month, I'm super excited to release it! See you all then! And thanks for the massive support!


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